College

Seven D.C. United Academy players are going to play collegiate soccer in fall 2014. All seven have deep roots in the D.C. United Academy system and have been with the club for multiple years. Julian Cummings, Steven Gandy, Josh Golob, Bashir Hooper, Christian Kershaw, Michael Monahan, and Noah Pilato all started in the DCU Pre-Academy and moved up together through the system to eventually play on the U-18 US Developmental Academy team.

“It’s going to be a little bit more technical and even more physical. It’s going to help me improve as an overall player,” said Kershaw a midfielder bound for Marshall University.

With family in mind, future Nittany Lion Pilato added, “I’m excited to continue my family’s legacy at Penn State and play for a great soccer program.”

“I’m most excited about playing soccer for my school and being able to start my first year of college.” Monahan explained of his future at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

“I’m really excited that I get to play with Jules for another four years. It’ll be great to have a familiar face in a competitive environment,” said Gandy, a future Cavalier who is heading to Charlottesville with DCU teammate Julian Cummings.

Cummings added, “Having Gandy there with me will be a lot of fun. UVA has a lot of great players and I know we’ll do well there.”

The D.C. United Academy aims to develop players from a young age and is very active in helping players through the college recruitment process. We asked the players how DCU helped them mature as players and gave them opportunities to be seen and recruited by colleges, and this is what they had to say:

Golob: “They have made me a lot better player both technically and mentally. D.C. United Academy is one of the top MLS academies in the country, and that draws a lot of college scouts out to games. My academy coaches also talked with Lafayette for hours about me and really supported me in my college soccer goals. They didn’t just coach me, they made sure that my goals were achieved.”

Hooper: “D.C. United has given me a winning mentality. I have had to play on behalf of the club and live up to the high standards set by previous players. That mentality is something I plan to take with me to George Mason.”

Kershaw: “D.C. United is a diverse organization. We have players from all kinds of backgrounds and that has really given me new insight about different playing styles. That diversity will help me adapt more quickly to my new teammates at Marshall.”

The first day of the Developmental Academy Winter Showcase started out early. Both teams woke up at 7:30 a.m. They ate breakfast, picked up their kits, had a pregame meeting, and then left for the Lakewood Ranch complex by 8:30 a.m. Twenty-two fields with hundreds of soccer players, coaches, fans, referees and staff stretched across the green fields. Players commented on how everything back home was covered in snow and then preceded to enjoy the warm, breezy weather.

The D.C. United U-18 team matched up against the Carolina Railhawks at 10 a.m. The Black-and-Red started out quick and dominated the game for the first 20 minutes, but the Railhalwks tallied on a counter attack in the 22nd minute to lead 1-0. Carolina scored again six minutes later in the 28th to lead 2-0 going into halftime. United had more attacking changes in the second half, but couldn’t covert. The game ended 3-0 after the Railhawks scored another goal during stoppage time. The U-18s will play again on Dec. 12 at 9 a.m. against the New England Revolution.

The D.C. United U-16 team had a day off after their hectic travel day. They trained and did a quick workout before the U-18s played, and then watched the game. They will play on Dec. 12 against the Indiana Fire at 2:30 p.m.

D.C. United U-16 player Jose Carranza is training with the U-15 Boys National Team during the Winter Showcase and will play his first game of the weekend on Dec. 12 at 1:30 p.m. against Weston FC. Trey Vinson will be playing in the Developmental Academy Select Squad game at 6 p.m. on the 12th as well. To read more about Carranza and Vinson, CLICK HERE.

Seven D.C. United Academy alums featured in the Maryland v. Wake Forest matchup on Saturday, Oct. 19 in College Park, Md. This Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) rivalry has always been a heated battle in which everyone is familiar with one another. For seven of those players, it’s not just familiarity, but a brotherhood. Four DCU alums, Mikias Eticha, Suli Dainkeh, Cody Niedermeier and Michale Sauers play for Maryland and three, Rafael Fagundo, Ian Harkes and Jalen Robinson play for Wake Forest.

These seven standouts used to spend a lot of time together practicing, traveling and playing on D.C. United’s Developmental Academy teams only a few short years or even months ago. The score ended 4-3 in favor of Wake, but there were still handshakes and genuine smiles after the game. Every player mentioned how awesome it is to see each other progress as players and to compete on such a high level.

“D.C. United definitely prepared me to play in big ACC matchups like tonight,” Robinson said. “Getting to play against 11 other players that eventually went on to DI colleges, the (MLS) reserves and the first team helped me gain a competitive drive and the technical skill to get me where I am today.”

When asked to give advice to current D.C. United Academy players, all seven had similar messages. Sauers said, “I know its cliché, but always go after your dream. We’re all out here pursuing our dreams and still working on others. Work hard and put in the time, and you’ll get there.” D.C. United Academy not only produces topnotch talent, it also produces a brotherhood of soccer players. Robinson said, “You know, we all could be back playing together somewhere down the line.”

MLS announced the 2013 MLS Combine Invite list today. The initial list is comprised of 54 of the top NCAA Division I players from the past season.

Former D.C. United Academy midfielder Uwem Etuk was selected to the list, after a successful collegiate career with West Virginia. Etuk saw time in 75 matches for the Mountaineers, notching eight goals and 18 assists.

In his time with the Academy, Etuk played alongside current United defender Ethan White. Today, White gave a shout out to his former teammate on Twitter:

Good luck to my boy @uetuk10 at the MLS Combine. Former DCU academy teammate. Would love to see our whole U18 team make it.

On Friday night the Georgetown Men's Soccer Team made school history when they qualified for the NCAA National Championship match for the first time. The Hoyas battled neighbor school, the University of Maryland to a 4-4 draw in regular-time.

Former D.C. United Academy midfielder Tyler Rudy, a sophomore at Georgetown, played his part with an assist on the first Hoyas goal in the 33rd minute. Eventually the sides would meet for penalty kicks, and Georgetown would come out on top 4-3.

The local boys make their first National Championship appearance this Sunday at 2:00 PM against seven-time National Champions the Indiana Hoosiers. Watch the match on ESPNU or at WatchESPN.com, with commentary by Glenn Davis and Taylor Twellman.

Congratulations to the D.C. United U-16 Development Academy who will go into their winter break as the number one team in the nation. The Academy is the only division leader who boasts an undefeated record over the first 13 matches. With a 2.69 points per game average, they also lead their age-group in goals. 15 year old Gerson Umana, sits atop the individual standings with 11 goals on the season.

The US Development Academy season starts in September and goes through the following June. The winter break falls between December and March.